In collaboration with Unity Health Care (Unity), Sibley Memorial Hospital has established a cancer clinic within the Parkside Health Center, located at 765 Kenilworth Terrace NE, Washington, DC 20019. 

Washington, D.C. -- In collaboration with Unity Health Care (Unity), Sibley Memorial Hospital has established a cancer clinic within the Parkside Health Center, located at 765 Kenilworth Terrace NE, Washington, DC 20019. The specialty services offered through this collaboration will provide much-needed cancer care to underserved patients in Wards 7 and 8 and throughout the District of Columbia.

The Parkside Health Center will serve as home base for a Sibley Memorial Hospital nurse navigator. This navigator will help patients overcome barriers to care by acting as a clinical resource, advocate and educator and by facilitating timely access to treatment at the Johns Hopkins Kimmel Cancer Center at Sibley. Additionally, the navigator will coordinate the patient care journey from diagnosis, through treatment and beyond, working closely with a multidisciplinary medical team to develop patient treatment plans and subsequent care.

“Washington, DC, has some of the highest rates of cancer in the nation, particularly in Wards 7 and 8. Contributing to this are serious disparities in access to cancer care,” said Hasan Zia, M.D., M.B.A., interim president and CEO of Sibley Memorial Hospital. “At Sibley, we fundamentally believe that a resident’s zip code should not determine their health and well-being. Collaborations like this one with Unity Health Care will help to improve access for residents of Wards 7 and 8 to world-class cancer treatment at the Johns Hopkins Kimmel Cancer Center at Sibley. This is a unique partnership that will provide access to specialty cancer care in a way that isn’t widely available in Wards 7 and 8.”

“Unity is thrilled to partner with Sibley Memorial Hospital to bring these much needed cancer services to patients,” says Vincent A. Keane, president and CEO of Unity Health Care. “At Unity, we pride ourselves on being the medical home for our patients. With this partnership, we can continue to expand the network of health services accessible to our patients.”

Because many residents of Wards 7 and 8 suffer high rates of cancer, specifically, prostate and gynecological cancers, the Sibley Cancer Service will initially focus on those two cancer types; however, all patients presenting with any type of cancer will be able to receive diagnostic and treatment options at Sibley Memorial Hospital. Patients are also free to seek cancer treatment at other facilities. While headquartered in the Sibley Cancer Service at the Parkside site, the nurse navigator will also travel to Unity’s five additional health centers located throughout Wards 7 and 8 to help ensure robust access to lifesaving cancer care.

Physicians participating in this collaborative initiative are full-time faculty members of the Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine and recognized leaders in their fields.

About Sibley Memorial Hospital
Sibley Memorial Hospital, a member of Johns Hopkins Medicine, in Northwest Washington, DC, has a distinguished history of serving the community since its founding in 1890. As a not-for-profit, full-service community hospital, Sibley offers medical, surgical, intensive care, obstetric, oncology, orthopedic and skilled nursing inpatient services and a state-of-the-art, 24-hour Emergency Department. Sibley’s campus, with its new patient tower, is also home to the Johns Hopkins Kimmel Cancer Center; Grand Oaks, an assisted living residence; a medical building with physician offices, as well as outpatient surgery and imaging centers. 

About the Johns Hopkins Kimmel Cancer Center at Sibley
The Johns Hopkins Kimmel Cancer Center at Sibley offers world-class cancer care in the Washington, DC, metropolitan area with Johns Hopkins specialists in medical oncology, radiation oncology and surgical oncology. Its doctors have access to groundbreaking clinical trials and the latest cancer research – because many of them are conducting the research that will lead to new and improved treatments. A state-of-the-art proton treatment facility, scheduled to open in fall 2019, will provide treatment areas for children and adults. The center’s multidisciplinary care includes counseling, nutrition services, palliative care and survivorship support.

About Unity Health Care
As the largest network of community health centers in Washington, DC, Unity Health Care provides a full-range of health and human services to meet the needs of our communities through a network of over 20 traditional and non-traditional health sites and a mobile medical outreach vehicle. Our team of compassionate and multicultural health professionals place Unity values into action every day to bring whole-person care and wellness to over 104,000 patients through 500,000 visits annually. Deeply rooted in the District’s neighborhoods for over 30 years, Unity strives to promote healthier communities through compassion and comprehensive primary and specialty health care and wrap-around services, regardless of ability to pay.